Monday, February 18, 2013

True News Update 24/7

Will Cuomo Reelection in 2014 Be So Big That It Wipes Out the Coalition State Senate?
The GOP poll found dismal support for a GOP state senate.  That mean the Cuomo could be facing resistance to his future efforts to balance the budget and allow limited fracking. More important to team Cuomo it will not let gov to contined the accomplishment record that he will need to run on for president.

To Big to Succeed . . .  Top of the World Ma
 Weak GOP threat to Andy prez shot (NYP) A new poll from a respected Republican firm has senior Democrats worried that Gov. Cuomo is headed for a massive re-election victory next year The poll, which was being intensely studied last week by Democratic operatives, reinforced the belief that if the governor faces a weak Republican opponent — such as Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, who was crushed by Cuomo in 2010 — the contest will be discounted from the start by a national media focused on potential presidential candidates for 2016.* Wright: Everyone On ‘Same Page’ With Minimum Wage(YNN) * Chris Christie: “I’m not much different from Andrew Cuomo. I probably agree with him on 98% of the issues.”

Co-Chair Likely On Way Out Because of Criticisms of Gov. Cuomo
Not surprisingly, it looks like Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner is on the way out as Democratic Party co-chairwoman after sharply criticizing Cuomo’s pension smoothing plan.A Post-Standard columnist urges us to look beyond the political dispute between Cuomo and Mayor Stephanie Miner and consider the difficult financial woes of upstate cities.* "Two sources close to Gov. Cuomo insist there is no plan to force Miner out" (NYDN) * Cuomo: Relationship With Caucus Is Strong(YNN)*Miner Responds To Report She’s Stepping Down From State Chair Post(YNN)


As Pols Fight Over Minimum Wage Rates Who is Fighting to Find Jobs for the Unemployed

 The wages of humor(NYP)
Last month, Gov. Cuomo one-upped them by proposing an $8.75 minimum wage in his State of the State speech. Last week, President Obama one-upped him by floating a $9 federal minimum wage in his State of the Union. The Assembly is determined to catch up. On Thursday, Democrats announced their intention to pass their own $9 minimum-wage law.* Cuomo suggested on Sunday that he might drop language increasing the minimum wage to $8.75 from his budget proposal to allow for further negotiation because Republican legislators say a minimum wage increase would hurt business, the Times-Union reports * Cuomo last night conceded that the federal effort to hike the minimum wage to $9 has added new complexity to the debate and said he may revise his $8.75 minimum wage proposal.* When Being Jobless Is a Barrier to Finding a Job(NYT)


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BOE And the Runoff

The Daily News wants to go back to the old lever machines and the NYT wants to push the primary up to June to help it chooice for mayor Quinn take advance of her strong lead in the polls. The DN said the the BOE solutions to the counting problem were unreal but did not discuss the commissional scandal or whose at fault for the long line on election day
Pull the levers of power (NYDN Ed) Albany must bring back the old voting machines for the 2013 mayoral election. The board has proposed several solutions, most of them preposterous. Like printing up 826 million ballots with every possible combination of runoff contenders, at a cost of $430 million. Let’s get real. The old lever machines are sitting in a Brooklyn warehouse, protected from dust by plastic covers.

Back to the Future Voting Machines
Wheel them out and run the elections just the way the city did for decades. Why did New York switch to scanners in the first place? Because, after the Florida nightmare that failed to decide the race between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000, Congress declared voting machines must produce paper records of the vote. The mandate applies only to federal elections, of which there are none in the city this fall. For this and only this occasion, the Legislature and Gov. Cuomo should enact a bill empowering machine politics. * Move New York City’s Primaries to June(NYT)

 What is Going On At the BOE Gadfly Alan Flacks?
 Nothing.  They are still:  pooling their ignorance (only one of the ten commissioners has institutional knowledge and knows something about the Election law:  Fred Umane, Rep.-Manh.); granting an occasional salary increase to headquarters' staffers while leaving the low-wage borough workers impoverished; keeping on payroll two lawyers as counsel to the commissioners (not to the Bd. of Elect., whose lawyer, who does most of the work, did need a deputy general counsel, which he finally got) who get paid a lot of money for doing nothing; keeping on payroll an armed guard who is not needed (originally hired when an employee made threats against State Sen. Bill Perkins's wife who is the administrative manager); and still "finally" settling (certifying) the totals of the November, 2012, General election as paper ballots still roll in thanks to Andrew Cuomo's order that one may vote anywhere.  They still--after  two years--have failed to reach a consensus as to whom to select for Executive Director. THE FLACKS REPORT

Queens Republicans feud over Board of Elections appointment, John Catsimatidis endorsement(Queens Chronicle)


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Stop and Frisk and Campiagn 2013

Campaign at your own ‘frisk’(NYP) Democrats vying to succeed Mayor Bloomberg can expect their views toward his stop-and-frisk policy to be a key campaign issue this year, according to the leader of the nation’s most influential civil-rights group. NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said his organization “will encourage every resident of the city to make stop-and-frisk one of the top issues.”





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Campaign 2013

It is Better for Lhota if Carrion Runs In November and Spits the Latino Vote With the Democrats
Is Molinari trying to keep Carrion's campaign from falling apart to insure that he does not drop out and runs on the independence line?  “It’s fight, fight, fight,” Staten Island powerbroker Guy Molinari said of his recent decision to buck GOP mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota. “If you didn’t have the stomach for it, then Staten Island would suffer.” After Mr. Molinari dropped his endorsement due to unreturned phone calls, it should be noted, Mr. Lhota “later called personally.”* Adolfo Carrión Jr. to Embark on Longshot Mayoral Bid (NYT) Adolfo Carrión Jr. says that the time may be right for an independent candidate who can offer a moderate alternative to his Republican and Democratic rivals.

Adolfo Carrion Says He’s Running for Mayor With or Withoutthe GOP(NYO)

de Attacks Bloomberg
 
NYC mayoral candidate goes for the "I hate Bloomberg" vote among Dem primary voters. Does one exist?

What Bloomberg Blacklash?
"Waiting for the Bloomberg backlash (and waiting & waiting) 


An Endorsement Hard to Pass Up, and Harder to Promote(NYT)Former Mayer Edward I. Koch supported Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, two years before the mayoral election.



And tomorrow’s special election to replace Councilman James Sanders remains heated:

McDonald Vs NYC Election Law
In a deliberate violation of New York City’s laws on campaign contribution limits, Republican mayoral candidate George McDonald has taken 10 contributions above the city’s $4,950 legal limit as well as a $120,000 loan in violation of the city’s law, the News reports

 
NYC campaign finance law clearly unconstitutional - McDonald should know all NY courts are cooked.

 Campaign Coverage About Nothing
Queens senator demands anger management for Baldwin after alleged racist rant(NYP)*  Malcolm v. Baldwin "Preview of mayor's race...playing out in alternate universe more interesting than own" (CrainsNY)

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RIP Isac Weinberger

Hasidic activist Isac Weinberger who passed along political gossip the old-fashioned way
RIP Isac Weinberger, a City Hall original, who always wanted to know, "Vhat's cooking?"
Isac Weinberger, a local-politics enthusiast who passed along political gossip the old-fashioned way—with a telephone and fax machine—passed away this morning at the age of 66. * Isac Weinberger in the New Yorker * Remembering Isac Weinberger, a one-man, pre-Internet chat room(Capital)



Isac Weinberger was listed in the most influentialpeople in politics list, In between Mayor Bloomberg, Chuck Schumer, Christie Quinn,RIP(NY Mag)
Isac Weinberger Political gossip(NY Nag)
No one does more to shape the rumor of the day—and, hence, drive the city’s political conversation—than does Weinberger, a gruff, rotund Hasidic Jew who works for the city. Weinberger spends his days on the phone shaking down people for tips—who’s thinking of dropping out of what race, what a candidate’s internal polls are showing—and promptly passing them on to the next caller (without the benefit, it should be said, of any fact-checking, only increasing his power).* Isac Weinberger, 66(NYDN)

  1. With heartfelt great sadness we announce the passing of my beloved friend and mentor isac weinberger Satmar/ Williamsburg lost a soldier
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Teacher Evaluations 

With no deal in sight, a senior administration official says the state will impose its own teacher evaluation system on New York City, making good on an earlier threat from Cuomo to do just that. Cuomo will slap city with teach-eval plan(NYP)  Gov. Cuomo plans to submit legislation this week that would authorize the state Education Department to impose a new teacher evaluation system on New York City, with Mayor Bloomberg and the teachers union still not close to a deal, 

Bus Strike Over
School Bus Strike Ends(WSJ)Walcott says new bus bids process has brought in 32 new bidders* Walcott: City School Buses Ready To Roll  * City spent $20M getting kids to school during bus strike(NYP) * Walcott: City School Buses Ready To Roll(NY1)


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Mental Health 

Scoop the nuts (NYP)The city is making a major push to sweep the streets of dangerous, mentally ill New Yorkers — and has even compiled a most-wanted list, The Post has learned. The measure follows a pair of high-profile subway-shove fatalities from December allegedly..* Health Dept. Wants NYPD Help In Tracking Mentally Ill (NY1)


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NYC's Ticket Drought 

’Cane brings drivers a ticket drought(NYP) For several weeks, you could have parked your wheels anywhere in New York with little fear of getting a ticket. Hurricane Sandy washed away New York’s..

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NYCHA

Hammer time for the Housing Authority(NYDN Ed) Chairman John Rhea must get busy keeping his promise on repairs. The News crunches the daunting number of backlogged repair requests that New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea has pledged to get fixed before the end of the year:  how many repairs does need b4 Bloomberg leaves? "1,312.5 daily, about 55 per hour, or almost one a minute" 


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MTA

MTA, workers' union contract negotiations stalled for past 3 months(NYP)

 

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Gentrification

Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaners as a Barometer of Gentrification(NYT) Many dry cleaners in gentrifying neighborhoods like Natural Cleaners in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, use alternatives to traditional chemicals, responding to customers' desires. In less affluent areas, though, the old solvents remain. Businesses promoting the “organic” and “natural” service have blanketed affluent Manhattan neighborhoods and crept farther afield.

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Electric Cars
In the Post, Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, writes that Bloomberg’s plan to add 10,000 electric-vehicle charging stations over the next seven years should not be a priority given the electric car industry’s paltry growth:








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Future of NYC Taxis


Cab-Hail App Maker Wants Rule Change(WSJ)The cab ride of tomorrow(NYP Ed)




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Hynes

[image]Judge Allows Trial to Weigh DA's 'Tactics'(WSJ) A judge ruled that a Queens man can pursue his claim that Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes had shown a deliberate indifference to "underhanded tactics" his prosecutors had used to unjustly win cases.

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More Albany Pork


Queens senator tries to overturn longstanding NYC porky-pet ban(NYP)

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Sandy

Records show that during Hurricane Sandy, federal government officials requested emergency communications equipment but never received it, and that emergency responders had to bribe hotel owners with generators for rooms for evacuees, the Post writes* $1.25M set for downtown businesses(NYDN) * The effort to pass the $60 billion in federal aid to cleanup after Hurricane Sandy took significant political muscle from New York, Newsday writes. * House Approves Storm Aid for Religious Institutions(NYT)


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Health Care
At Bellevue, a Glitch Hits Emergency Room(WSJ) SUNY Downstate is turning to two familiar Albany PR men to help with the college’s image.


 
ICYMI: ‘WE WILL NOT CLOSE!’ Hundreds pack forum on saving LICH.
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The Future of NYC Libraries

Libraries to Unify Some Tasks(WSJ) New York's three separate library systems have been working on a plan to offer a single, seamless library account for all New Yorkers.


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Washington

President Plans Decade-Long Effort to Map Human Brain(NYT)
Obama’s Plan Sees 8-Year Wait for Illegal Immigrants(NYT)
In Pipeline Choice, Risks Either Way(NYT)
Obama’s Golf Outing Includes Tiger Woods(NYT)
Bloomberg’s Independence USA Super PAC has spent $1.4 million in a special congressional election in Illinois to replace Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., with his support already knocking out a pro-gun candidate he opposes, the Post writes
The Coming Pro-Growth Moment - Steve Forbes, Forbes
Let's Celebrate the Income Tax - Molly Michelmore, Washington Post
Obama Is Aiming Low, Missing Greatness - Joe Klein, Time
Rand Paul's New Populist Libertarianism - Toby Harnden, Sunday Times
Conservatives, Libertarians, and Herding Cats - Heather Wilhelm, RCP
Liberals Are the New Silent Majority - Timothy Noah, The New Republic
Chicago Murders Complicate Obama Gun Ban - Chris Stirewalt, FOX News
Why Is the U.S. Economy Struggling? - Robert Samuelson, Washington Post
Health Care Law Will Work If We Embrace It - Peter Anderson, USA Today
Massive ObamaCare Sales Tax Increase on the Way - Lindsay Boyd, Forbes
States Worry About Rate Shock in Shift to ObamaCare - Noam Levey, LAT
When Republicans Were Problem-Solvers - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
3 Reasons to Build the Keystone XL Pipeline - Nick Gillespie, Reason.tv
Can Another Unknown Reprise Scott Brown's Upset? - Scott Conroy, RCP
The Super Bowl Farmers - Victor Davis Hanson, PJ Media
Catholicism Inc. - Bill Keller, New York Times
Wrestling Should Stay in the Olympics - Donald Rumsfeld, Washington Post

Twenty Questions for Presidents' Day - Philadelphia Inquirer
Focus on Pocketbook Issues & Outreach Can Revive Republicans - UTSD
Karl Rove Does U.S. a Favor in Taking on Tea Partiers - Boston Globe
Reckless and Lawless EPA: Running on Empty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
White House Immigration Plan Leaked(WSJ)
Lautenberg Has Plenty of Fight Left in Him(WSJ)
Political Talk Shows Discuss Reported Leak Of White House Immigration Bill(NY1)
Mayor Bloomberg’s PAC has spent more than $1.4 million in the Illinois special election to replace Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
In gearing up for the 2014, Rep. Steve Israel, the DCCC chairman, says Democrats can win the House. 
Just 11% Believe Congress Reflects Views of American People...
White House Reporters Livid After Missing Obama’s Golf Game With Tiger Woods(NY Mag)
Poll: Only about a quarter of Americans are satisfied with the way the country is going(Politico)
Israel to award Obama the Medal of Distinction. First sitting President to receive it from the country. 
As expected, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be hitting the lecture circuit and will likely pull down six-figure fees.
Behind the Curtain: Obama, the puppet master(Politico)

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Law and Order


CBS Anchor Charged With Strangling And Threatening His Wife
Channel 2's Morrison cuffed after fight with wife(NYP) * TV Anchor Accused of Choking His Wife(NYT) * CBS New York Anchor Arrested for Allegedly Choking Wife(NY Mag)


 

Step-by-Step Instructions for Crime-Solving in the City(NYT)

Body Found on a Beach Was Tied Up(NYT)

 


Fund Sheds Gun Stocks(WSJ)

Brooklyn Rep Fires Back At NRA Head's Post-Storm Crime Claims (NY1)

Cuomo will dispatch staff to try to reconcile dueling “rape is rape” legislation that seeks to remedy an inconsistency on rape classification in the state’s penal code, with Cuomo wanting a compromise by the end of the legislative session, the New York Daily News’ Ken Lovett writes; http://nydn.us/W5219X
Thieves Brazenly Steal $2 Million Worth Of Jewelry From (WCBS)
Surveillance Photos Released Of S.I. Murder Victim In T (WCBS)
A crime unsolved, a community on Staten Island united(SI Advance)
Body Found on Queens Beach Identified as Missing Woman(NBC)
Brooklyn man brutally stabbed wife to death when she told him to cook and clean for himself (NYDN)

Cops probe mystery death of Qns. party teen(NYP)

Video captures vicious laundromat beatdown on father

l11 handguns taken off Brooklyn streets near schoo(NYDN)